How Do You Find Tension in Two Cables Holding a 200 kg Weight?

[stacy123]

how do you find tension in two cables set against a wall will holding a weight of 200 kg up

The Attempt at a Solution

ƩFx: 0.86Fad +0.72Fac=0
ƩFy: -0.37Fad + -0.64Fac = -1960

Homework Statement

 

[cepheid]

Welcome to PF

You haven't provided enough information. You need to give us the *exact* problem statement (verbatim). I can't evaluate whether your attempt at a solution is a good start if I don't even know what numbers you have been given.

The general idea that the x-components should sum to zero and the y components should together be equal and opposite to the weight is correct.

 

[stacy123]

http://https://bay167.mail.live.com/att/GetAttachment.aspx?tnail=0&messageId=3dfae626-3d1b-11e3-8d8f-002264c17d58&Aux=2354|0|8D09F3F28148770||0|1|0|0|7|5,11,53&cid=e8972162f752523d&maxwidth=220&maxheight=160&size=Att

 

[cepheid]

Unfortunately, your image doesn't show up. Can you just tell me the angle of each wire from the vertical (or from the horizontal)? And, can you write down your solution in more detail, so that instead of having a bunch of "magic numbers" in it, it's more clear where you are getting those numbers from?

 

[Chestermiller]

Stacy,

It doesn't seem like your equations can be correct. The 0.86 and the 0.37 are supposed to represent the sine and cosine of a certain angle, but the sum of their squares does not add up to 1. The same goes for the 0.72 and the 0.64.

Chet